


Custom Made, Your Beloved

by till_the_sunshine_fades



Category: Waterparks (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Awsten uses they/them pronouns, Kinda, M/M, bc clocks dont really have gender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 22:30:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21126305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/till_the_sunshine_fades/pseuds/till_the_sunshine_fades
Summary: Automatons are everything robots were not. These machines keep themselves going, using only the energy from being wound like an old-fashioned pocket watch. Of course, humans want machines to mimic them; that's why AIs were created. The automaton solution? An Anima.





	Custom Made, Your Beloved

**Author's Note:**

> Based off "Dream Boy" by Waterparks. Might get a little angsty, not quite sure yet. Mentions of a past "relationship" that ended badly.

_ She ripped me apart. An Anima should never be removed from its body. An Anima should never be thrown in a box and left on the curb. An Anima’s body should never be sold as spare parts. _

_ She took the two halves of me, body and soul, and threw them to opposite ends of the earth. I cannot call out, for I have no mouth. I can only watch as time passes by. _

_ I can only hope someone knows what I am and saves me. _

~~~~~~~~~~

Having a body without an Anima is unbelievably frustrating. Geoff had spent most of his adult life searching for one to put inside the clockwork body he’d picked up from a parts shop. He’d found a few Animas, but none that fit this specific body. Many automatons could swap their Anima, the body only working as a vessel for the standard shape. This one, however, had a cradle that was so specific, so intricately cut, that you couldn’t put just any Anima in. This body had been built for one specific Anima. The fact that they had ever been separated blew him away. 

Sure, Geoff could have made another Anima in the exact shape he needed, but something about the body made Geoff curious. He wanted to know the story behind this body, and the only way to do that was to find the original Anima.

He’d had gone on many hunts, digging through yardsale bins and thrift store jewelry racks in the hope of finding the specific Anima he needed. It took a long time, but after months of dusty books and toys of long-grown-up children, Geoff finally found it. 

He’d been sifting through a bin at a yard sale across town, most of the contents being a mix of old McDonald’s toys and scratched DVDs, when his fingers brushed against a crescent of acrylic-painted glass. He pulled it out, speechless. His fingers traced along the swirling edges, mentally comparing the shapes to his memory of the cradle. It was a perfect match. It needed a good polish, and if Geoff hadn’t spent so many hours studying the body (all the tiny joints and springs and especially the cradle) he would have missed the Anima entirely. It had been painted over, its natural blue glow dulled by pastel pink paint. After carefully chipping at an edge and revealing the natural color underneath, he rushed to buy it and get home. 

He didn’t waste any time getting into his workshop, the room he kept the clockwork body in. He polished the Anima until it was gleaming, picking every speck of paint off, scrubbing at the surface until he could see his reflection. The glass was carved into the exact curves of the cradle in the body Geoff had been watching for months. He’d finally done it. He would finally figure out what happened to this poor automaton.

There certainly were reasons that a body might be separated from its Anima, but Geoff couldn’t figure out why this one had been. It didn’t seem that it would be dangerous once animated. Based on the construction of the body, it wasn’t intended to be threatening. It was shorter than Geoff, hair a soft shade of lavender and two different-colored eyes, obviously built in the last few years. Why an automaton that was so intricate, so obviously created with care, would be decommissioned so soon after its making, Geoff just couldn’t understand. He wanted to know why. 

Giving up on the thought, he pulled the sheet off of the body. He’d find out soon enough. Unscrewing the chest cavity, he took a deep breath and laid the Anima inside its cradle.

Immediately, the clockwork started moving. The automaton’s eyes sprang open as Geoff yanked his hand out of the way, avoiding getting pinched by the tiny gears and springs. They began to sit up, testing their joints and inspecting their body parts. After they were sure their body was in working order, they turned to Geoff. 

“You fixed me?” 

Geoff nodded, reaching to close the chest cavity. The automaton let him, watching him screw it shut. 

“Thanks, uhm…”

“Oh! Geoff. My name’s Geoff.” 

“Well, thank you, Geoff. I’m Awsten.” 

“Awsten. Got it.” Geoff looked around the room, trying not to stare at the automaton in front of him. It wouldn’t be abnormal, really, but just looking at their face made Geoff blush. “Uh… How’re you feeling? I tried to keep your joints and stuff in good shape, but I don’t know if I got everything. Can you walk?” 

Awsten nodded, starting to push themself off of the table. Geoff stood, reaching a hand out to support them. Their feet landed on the floor and they took a few cautious steps before turning back around. 

“I’m great. Everything feels perfect. _ Better than usual, actually. _” Their words trailed off at the end, their head turned towards the floor. 

“Yeah, you were in kinda rough shape when I got you. Both halves, really. Though you’re not that old; how’d you get that messed up?”

Awsten kept their eyes down, messing with their hands. “It’s not important.” 

“I guess not,” Geoff shrugged. “Wanna go for a ride? We should go to the registry, check if you’re on anyone’s list.”

“No, I know I’m not. _ She would’ve taken me off. _” Again with the trailing off.

Geoff opened his mouth, then closed it when no words came. “Oh. Well then, we should get you registered to me. If you’re gonna be around, I should have the proper paperwork, yeah?” His smile was bright, reassuring. Awsten liked it. 

“Yeah. Let’s go.”


End file.
